OKCupid Ad Campaign Redefines DTF with W+K and Toiletpaper

okcupid and toiletpaper

Ad agency Wieden + Kennedy New York reached out to artist Maurizio Cattelan and photographer Pierpaolo Ferrari, founders of the surreal art magazine Toiletpaper, to work with them to create an ad campaign for dating app OK Cupid. The brightly colored ads play off the DTF acronym (that’s ‘down to fuck’ for those of you living under a rock) by offering other F words as alternatives.

OKCupid DTF Campaign

ok cupid ad campaign

The ads, which look like much of the work seen in Toiletpaper, take the invitation to sex in “DTF” and replace the “F” with other dating options such as places to go (Farmer’s Market) or things to do (Fight about the President).

“More than ten years after OkCupid was founded, this campaign unashamedly reconfirms what we believe: that dating deserves better,” OkCupid CMO Melissa Hobley said in a statement. “We’re proud that OkCupid is one of the only dating apps that truly reflects back what is happening culturally, and we felt a responsibility–and opportunity–to play a part in changing the conversation about dating culture and empowering each individual to expand the meaning of DTF in a way that reflects what they want from dating.”

dating website ad campaign

Executions of the campaign include print, digital banners, social media and OOH. They feature all types of relationships, ethnicities, interests and political leanings.

ok cupid kanding oage
OKCupid’s landing page features the images from the campaign

An interactive element will let users answer questions about how they feel about “DTF” and how they would want to define it for themselves. The answers are being shared on OKCupid’s Instagram account.

Adweek reports that “For most of the executions, W+K came up with the line of copy first—and then developed the visual in collaboration with Cattelan and Ferrari. But in a few cases, it was the opposite.”

okcupid guerilla outdoor

“Maurizio and Pierpaolo work super fast and have so many ideas,” says Art Director Jessica Shriftman who worked on the ads with copywriter Ian Hart. “They originally presented a visual of a paper bag with eyes on it to us during one of our Skype calls. And while it wasn’t right for one of our approved concepts, we loved it and knew we could write to it, so ‘Forget our baggage’ actually came out of that.”

CREDITS
Client: OkCupid
Melissa Hobley – Chief Marketing Officer
Bernadette Libonate – Senior Marketing Manager
Devin Colleran – Brand Manager
Dana Davis – Communications / Graphic Designer
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Agency: Wieden + Kennedy New York
Executive Creative Directors – Karl Lieberman
Copywriter – Ian Hart
Art Director – Jessica Shriftman
Art Director (social / banners) – Nathan Wigglesworth
Head of Art Buying – Deb Rosen
Senior Art Buyer – Ali Berk
Strategist – Brian Ritter
Social Director – Jessica Breslin
Account Team – Jacqueline Steele, Sydney Gayner
Head of Business Affairs – Patrick ODonoghue
Business Affairs – Carla Curry
Traffic Coordinator – Andy Hume
Project Manager – Ava Rant
Head of Creative Services – Chris Whalley
Studio – Laura Paulino, Leigh Ann Dykes, David Niblick, Nathan Delessandro, Jill Kearton, Napoleon Nicdao
Design – Justin Flood, Robert Engvall, Frank DeRose, James Hughes, Meredith Marino

Joint / Motion Graphics
Producer – Brian Schimpf
Motion Graphics ​- ​ Damian Riddell

Photographers and Production Team
Photographers – Maurizio Cattelan & Pierpaolo Ferrari
Production Company – Pro Service Production
Executive Producer – Federico Delle Piane
Production Coordinator – Giulia Venturini
Production Assistant – Stefania Biliato
Digital Capture – Silvano Banfi
RetoucherBenedetta Ferrari
Art Director – Micol Talso
Set Designer – Michela Natella
Wardrobe Stylist – Elisa Zaccanti
Hair Stylist – Gabriele Trezzi
Makeup Stylist – Lorenzo Zavatta
Videographer – Caterina Vigano`

all visuals courtesy of OKCupid